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Need name for old type of equipment

I recall a couple of devices that I can find
now reference info on an need to know
what is was called to help search.

One is the machine maybe 40 years ago.
It was a motor on a stand with two
revolving disks on either side with
an offset point of attachment for a
wide belt about 5 feet long.
this belt would fit around the waist.
when turned on it would shake the
fat.

The other device sat on the floor and
had what seemed like a series of rolling pins
on a later roller. When the motor was
engaged it would spin and the client
might sit or lean up against the device to
knead the fat.

I am not worried if it is a rip off, I
am just needing it for a paper I am writing
about the history of fitness equipment.

Sounds very interesting.
The name of this stuff is on the tip of my tongue, and the
images vivid in my mind, but I can't remember them either! The name Vic
Tanny's comes to mind, with the belt system.
You may want to contact the owners of Omni Fitness, or Gym
Source (Richard Miller), who have pretty responsible chains, and seem to
know a lot about the industry. Arthur Jones at Nautilus very likely has
some sort of fitness museum, altho most it would likely contain his own
stuff. Still a good shot.

Altho Garrison is, amazingly, more correct than incorrect, they
are no more of a ripoff than today's Gazelle. The stuff you cite, along
with the Gazelle, in fact has some therapeutic value for some people,
usually a very ill/injured population. The Gazelle belongs, in fact, to
the class of machines known as CPM or Continuous Passive Motion
machines. The ripoff does not occur until they are mis-represented to
the public at large.
Note that the Oxyciser (HSM, QVC, etc.; not the Greer Childer's
mutant brain child) is reminiscent of the equipment you mentioned,
except even more useless, but with infra-red photography to """prove"""
that it works!

Apropos of Garrison's remark, the distinction really should be
made between the crap that has flooded the market for half of forever,
and *real* equipment, which almost always follows familiar themes:
weights, weights and pulleys, guided weights--hmmmm, might there be a
pattern? And pneumatic/hydraulic variations/equivalents, which, altho
legitimate, are just complicated and expensive to the point of
silliness.

I think a review of all categories--the good, the bad, and the
ugly--would be quite useful. I think that in providing a history of
crap equipment, the marketing techniques that wents along with it would
also be integrally important. The real stuff needs no marketing
analysis, as it pretty much stands on its own (and more often has a
different, commercial-oriented, market), but an analysis of *why* it is
*not* crap would also be illustrative.

The Bullworker was an interesting piece of fitness Americana,
popularized by Durk Pearson/Sandy Shaw in their Life Extension hustle.
Altho in principle valid within its limitations, it too was a fairly
redundant to the simple calisthenic--and of course, to the simple
isometric!--and pretty well misrepresented its capabilities also. But
at least it was not utterly useless like most of what appears today. And
pretty indestructible!

A history of fitness equipment would also be sort of incomplete
without a history of *methods* as well, most of which are bogus along
with the equipment. But very interesting to analyze. For example, why
Leonard Schwartz's HeavyHands is hands-down infinitely superior to the
near-utterly useless Winsor Pilates, for the general public.

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I recall a couple of devices that I can find
now reference info on an need to know
what is was called to help search.

One is the machine maybe 40 years ago.
It was a motor on a stand with two
revolving disks on either side with
an offset point of attachment for a
wide belt about 5 feet long.
this belt would fit around the waist.
when turned on it would shake the
fat.

The other device sat on the floor and
had what seemed like a series of rolling pins
on a later roller. When the motor was
engaged it would spin and the client
might sit or lean up against the device to
knead the fat.

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I recall a couple of devices that I can find
now reference info on an need to know
what is was called to help search.

One is the machine maybe 40 years ago.
It was a motor on a stand with two
revolving disks on either side with
an offset point of attachment for a
wide belt about 5 feet long.
this belt would fit around the waist.
when turned on it would shake the
fat.

The other device sat on the floor and
had what seemed like a series of rolling pins
on a later roller. When the motor was
engaged it would spin and the client
might sit or lean up against the device to
knead the fat.

I appreciate any help recalling what these items are called.

Thank you
Dennis

Steve:

I simply recall them as a vibrating belt machine. Did nothing but shake the
sh*t out of you, but I bet it felt good on the lower back pain. The one I
remember best is the one that Disney had in its Carousel of Progress ride in
Disneyland, and I think it was moved to the Epcot Center. "Oh its a great
beautiful tomorrow!" ....damn, It will take me hours to get that song out of
my head now.